2018 Daytona 500
The 2018 Daytona 500, the 60th running of the event, is a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on February 18, 2018, contested over 207 laps—extended from 200 laps due to an overtime finish—on the 2.5-mile (4.0 km) asphalt superspeedway. It was the first race of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season. Report Background Daytona International Speedway is one of six superspeedways to hold NASCAR races, the others being Michigan International Speedway, Auto Club Speedway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Pocono Raceway and Talladega Superspeedway.[14] The standard track at Daytona International Speedway is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long.[15] The track's turns are banked at 31 degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at 18 degrees.[15] Notes This was the first Daytona 500 race since 1982 where none of the cars were sponsored by beer companies.[16] Also this Daytona 500 saw an strange sight of only 40 cars (The maximum field and no extra cars) entering the race, thus making no teams in a “go or go home” position for the first time. Entry list Practicehttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2018_Daytona_500&action=edit&section=5 edit First practice (February 10)https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2018_Daytona_500&action=edit&section=6 edit Kyle Busch was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 45.058 seconds and a speed of 199.743 mph (321.455 km/h).[17] Second practice (February 10)https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2018_Daytona_500&action=edit&section=7 edit William Byron was the fastest in the second practice session with a time of 44.625 seconds and a speed of 201.681 mph (324.574 km/h).[18] Qualifyinghttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2018_Daytona_500&action=edit&section=8 edit Alex Bowman scored the pole for the race with a time of 46.002 and a speed of 195.644 mph (314.858 km/h).[19] Qualifying resultshttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2018_Daytona_500&action=edit&section=9 edit Can-Am Duelshttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2018_Daytona_500&action=edit&section=10 edit See also: 2018 Can-Am Duels The Can-Am Duels are a pair of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races held in conjunction with the Daytona 500 annually in February at Daytona International Speedway. They consist of two races 60 laps and 150 miles (240 km) in length, which serve as heat races that set the lineup for the Daytona 500. Both races sets the lineup for positions 3–32. The first race sets the lineup for cars that qualified in odd–numbered positions on pole qualifying day. The second race sets the lineup for cars that qualified in even–numbered positions. Positions 33–36 are filled by the four drivers that posted the fastest lap in pole qualifying that didn't lock in a position in the Duel's. Positions 37–40 are set by the four cars highest in the 2017 owner's points that didn't lock in a position in the Duels and weren't among the cars that posted the four fastest timed laps in pole qualifying. Duel 1https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2018_Daytona_500&action=edit&section=11 edit Duel 1 resultshttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2018_Daytona_500&action=edit&section=12 edit Duel 2https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2018_Daytona_500&action=edit&section=13 edit Duel 2 resultshttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2018_Daytona_500&action=edit&section=14 edit Starting lineuphttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2018_Daytona_500&action=edit&section=15 edit Practice (post–Duels)https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2018_Daytona_500&action=edit&section=16 edit Third practice (February 16)https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2018_Daytona_500&action=edit&section=17 edit Daniel Suárez was the fastest in the third practice session with a time of 45.036 seconds and a speed of 199.840 mph (321.611 km/h).[20] Fourth practice (February 16)https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2018_Daytona_500&action=edit&section=18 edit Daniel Suárez was the fastest in the fourth practice session with a time of 44.296 seconds and a speed of 203.179 mph (326.985 km/h).[21] Final practice (February 17)https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2018_Daytona_500&action=edit&section=19 edit Darrell Wallace Jr. was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 45.696 seconds and a speed of 196.954 mph (316.967 km/h).[22] Race summary Winner: Austin Dillon won NASCAR's most prestigious race, driving the No. 3 to victory lane 20 years after Dale Earnhardt Sr. captured his lone Daytona 500 title in the same car. Dillon drives for grandfather Richard Childress, who was the team owner for Earnhardt during six of his record-tying seven Cup Series championships. Dillon took the checkered flag in overtime when race leader Aric Almirola crashed after being pushed by Dillon while taking the white flag. The final lap was the only one Dillon led the entire race. "I did what I had to do at the end; I hated for the 10 (Almirola's Stewart-Haas Racing) guys," Dillon said immediately after performing a series of burnouts. "It's so awesome to take the 3 car back to victory lane 20 years after Earnhardt did it. "This is for Dale Sr. and all those Earnhardt fans. We're going to keep kicking butt the rest of the year." Childress was visibly overcome with emotions during a TV interview with Fox. "Being able to win with the 3 car 20 years after Dale won in ’98, is so special," Childress said. "I can’t let the fans know enough how special this is." Darrell Wallace Jr., driving for seven-time series champion and seven-time Daytona 500 winner Richard Petty, finished second. "I got so many emotions right now," Wallace said. "All in all a great day. Just an incredible experience for me to be here. Thank you to The King (Petty) for giving me this opportunity. Hell of an ending for us tonight. P2 for my first Daytona 500, I'll take it." Denny Hamlin finished third, followed by Joey Logano and Chris Buescher. Big One at the end: Defending Daytona 500 champion Kurt Busch tried to pass race leader Hamlin with two laps to go but contact from behind by Ryan Blaney turned Busch, leading to a huge multi-car crash. Alex Bowman, Brendan Gaughan, Matt DiBenedetto and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. were also invovled. The race then headed to overtime with Hamlin and Aric Almirola on the front row. Blaney captures Stage 2: Blaney, 24, in the No. 12 Ford for Team Penske, collects the 10 points for winning the second stage. The caution flag was out for eight laps. Huge crash brings out fifth caution: A major wreck on turn 3 of lap 101 involved Chase Elliott, one of the favorites, Danica Patrick, racing for the final time in NASCAR, Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick, David Ragan and Kasey Kahne. The caution flag was out for laps 103 through 108. So far, 11 cars are out of the race. Keselowski was not happy. “The 24 got loose and spun out in front of us all and I got caught up in it," the pre-race favorite said. It just really sucks. We had a great car and were in a great position. I guess that’s the way it goes. I went to pass the 24 on the bottom and he came down. I can’t tell if I made contact or not, but obviously he turned and there was nothing I could do. We were all wrecked.” Fourth caution flag: On lap 93, the caution flag came out for debris on the track, from William Byron's No. 24 car. The caution lasts from lap 94 to 97, four laps. Martin Truex Jr. took the lead after choosing not to make a pit stop. Major wreck ends stage 1: 2017 Daytona 500 winner Kurt Busch won Stage 1, his first stage win ever, which is worth 10 points toward seasonal standings. But he missed his box coming in to the pits and was penalized. The crash during lap 60 involved seven cars, including Byron, Erik Jones, Ty Dillon, Daniel Suarez, Jimmie Johnson, Truex and Kyle Larson. It was the third car Johnson wrecked this week. Johnson, Suarez, Jones and Dillon are out of the race. "It is disappointing for this Lowes team and everyone at Hendrick Motorsports for all the work they put into it," Johnson said. "But we'll get this Camaro ZL1 dialed in for Atlanta and take it over there." Said Suarez: “It looked like the 17 (Ricky Stenhouse Jr.) just got freed up there by the 12 (Blaney), unfortunately. We tried to check up and everybody got stacked up, and caused a big wreck. It’s unfortunate because the DEWALT Camry was definitely fast – we just didn’t get to the end to see what we could really do. We were in position I thought to have a good race. We were staying upfront and out of trouble, it just didn’t work out.” Second caution flag: Kyle Busch spun out, apparently due to the same tire problem he had on lap 30. The first 10 cars did not stop to pit, waiting instead for the end of the first stage, Busch flat: On lap 30, Kyle Busch's left rear tire went flat, and he dropped from 5th to 38th to get the tire changed. First caution flag: Came on lap nine as Corey LaJoie apparently blew an engine in Turn 2. Hamlin's 11 car was penalized one lap for pitting outside the box during the caution. The flag was out for three laps. Joey's new spotter: Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s longtime spotter T.J. Majors is now the spotter for Joey Logano, which is why Earnhardt picked Logano to win the race. Patrick's finale: Patrick looked to be fully focused on the task at hand as she was introduced for the final NASCAR race of her career and the first half of the "Danica Double." She is expected to get a ride in the Indianapolis 500 in May. Patrick was dressed in her familiar green Go-Daddy driving suit and tweeted “Ready to go!!!!!!” a few hours before the race at Daytona International Speedway. Patrick posted a photo on Instagram on Saturday of her and her new boyfriend Aaron Rodgers with her family at the beach. She wrote ”Doing Daytona with all the people that mean the most to me.” An emotional Patrick hugged and kissed her family before strapping in for the final time to her Go-Daddy Chevrolet for Premium Motorsports. EARNHARDT JR: Finds life in post-racing career more fun, less stressful Honorary starter: Academy Award-winning actress Charlize Theron was selected as the honorary starter for the race, and waved the green flag. She said she was pulling for Patrick, 35, the only woman to start the Daytona 500 from the pole position and is the highest-finishing woman in the race's 60 years. "As a woman, that just seems pretty incredible,” Theron said Sunday. ”For me to be able to witness her last race, that feels very special. The girl in me is secretly obviously cheering for her." Junior and Peyton: Earnhardt Jr., the most popular driver in NASCAR for the last 15 years, is the grand marshal, and gave the order, "Drivers, start your engines." And future NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning drove the pace car. Hammerin' Hank to Bubba: Darrell "Bubba" Wallace Jr., the first African American full-time NASCAR Cup driver since 1971, received a phone call from baseball legend Hank Aaron. "From one Mobile (Ala.) son to another, always believe in your dreams and anything is possible, Aaron told Wallace, who is driving the iconic No. 43 Chevrolet for Richard Petty Motorsports. DAYTONA 500 RESULTS Sunday from the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway (starting position in parentheses): 1. (14) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 207 laps, 0 rating, 42 points. 2. (7) Darrell Wallace Jr, Chevrolet, 207, 0, 39. 3. (2) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 207, 0, 35. 4. (5) Joey Logano, Ford, 207, 0, 41. 5. (21) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet, 207, 0, 32. 6. (16) Paul Menard, Ford, 207, 0, 42. 7. (3) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 207, 0, 48. 8. (13) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 207, 0, 29. 9. (22) Michael McDowell, Ford, 207, 0, 39. 10. (20) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 207, 0, 27. 11. (37) Aric Almirola, Ford, 206, 0, 33. 12. (29) Justin Marks, Chevrolet, 206, 0, 0. 13. (18) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 206, 0, 28. 14. (39) David Gilliland, Ford, 206, 0, 0. 15. (10) Clint Bowyer, Ford, 206, 0, 22. 16. (19) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 205, 0, 21. 17. (1) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 205, 0, 29. 18. (24) Martin Truex Jr, Toyota, 205, 0, 30. 19. (38) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 204, 0, 18. 20. (34) Gray Gaulding, Toyota, 204, 0, 17. 21. (27) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 204, 0, 16. 22. (40) Mark Thompson, Ford, 203, 0, 15. 23. (33) William Byron, Chevrolet, 203, 0, 14. 24. (30) D.J. Kennington, Toyota, 201, 0, 13. 25. (12) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 200, 0, 12. 26. (11) Kurt Busch, Ford, accident, 198, 0, 21. 27. (36) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, accident, 198, 0, 10. 28. (25) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, accident, 198, 0, 9. 29. (9) Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Ford, accident, 197, 0, 15. 30. (15) David Ragan, Ford, accident, 107, 0, 7. 31. (6) Kevin Harvick, Ford, accident, 105, 0, 10. 32. (31) Brad Keselowski, Ford, accident, 102, 0, 5. 33. (4) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, accident, 101, 0, 7. 34. (26) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, accident, 101, 0, 3. 35. (28) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, accident, 101, 0, 2. 36. (8) Erik Jones, Toyota, accident, 59, 0, 1. 37. (17) Daniel Suarez, Toyota, accident, 59, 0, 1. 38. (35) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, accident, 59, 0, 1. 39. (23) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, accident, 59, 0, 1. 40. (32) Corey Lajoie, Chevrolet, engine, 8, 0, 1. ––– Race Statistics Average Speed of Race Winner: 150.551 mph. Time of Race: 3 hours, 26 minutes, 15 seconds. Margin of Victory: 0.260 seconds. Caution Flags: 8 for 37 laps. Lead Changes: 24 among 14 drivers. Lap Leaders: A.Bowman 0; D.Hamlin 1-10; J.Marks 11; Ku.Busch 12-14; A.Bowman 15-22; E.Jones 23-33; R.Stenhouse 34-44; C.Elliott 45-48; J.Logano 49-51; Ku.Busch 52-62; A.Bowman 63-67; R.Blaney 68-93; P.Menard 94; M.Truex 95-98; R.Blaney 99-122; A.Allmendinger 123; R.Blaney 124-170; D.Hamlin 171-173; R.Blaney 174-193; D.Hamlin 194; Ku.Busch 195-196; R.Blaney 197; D.Hamlin 198-205; A.Almirola 206; A.Dillon 207 Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Led, Laps Led): R.Blaney, 5 times for 113 laps; D.Hamlin, 4 times for 18 laps; Ku.Busch, 3 times for 13 laps; A.Bowman, 3 times for 11 laps; E.Jones, 1 time for 10 laps; R.Stenhouse, 1 time for 10 laps; C.Elliott, 1 time for 3 laps; M.Truex, 1 time for 3 laps; J.Logano, 1 time for 2 laps; A.Allmendinger, 1 time for 0 laps; A.Almirola, 1 time for 0 laps; A.Dillon, 1 time for 0 laps; J.Marks, 1 time for 0 laps; P.Menard, 1 time for 0 laps. Wins: A.Dillon, 1. Top 16 in Points: 1. R.Blaney, 48; 2. A.Dillon, 42; 3. P.Menard, 42; 4. J.Logano, 41; 5. M.McDowell, 39; 6. D.Wallace, 39; 7. D.Hamlin, 35; 8. A.Almirola, 33; 9. C.Buescher, 32; 10. M.Truex, 30; 11. A.Bowman, 29; 12. R.Newman, 29; 13. T.Bayne, 28; 14. A.Allmendinger, 27; 15. C.Bowyer, 22; 16. Ku.Busch, 21. Mediahttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2018_Daytona_500&action=edit&section=20 edit Televisionhttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2018_Daytona_500&action=edit&section=21 edit See also: NASCAR on television and radio § Beyond the United States Since 2001—with the exception of 2002, 2004 and 2006—the Daytona 500 has been carried by Fox in the United States. The booth crew consisted of longtime NASCAR lap-by-lap announcer Mike Joy, three–time Daytona 500 champion Jeff Gordon, and 1989 race winner Darrell Waltrip. Pit road was manned by Jamie Little, Regan Smith, Vince Welch and Matt Yocum. Radiohttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2018_Daytona_500&action=edit&section=22 edit The race was broadcast on radio by the Motor Racing Network—who has covered the Daytona 500 since 1970—and simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. The booth crew consisted of longtime announcer Joe Moore, Jeff Striegle and 1989 Cup Series champion Rusty Wallace. Longtime turn announcer – and prodigy of MRN co-founder Ken Squier – Dave Moody was the lead turn announcer. He called the Daytona 500 from atop the Sunoco tower outside the exit of turn 2 when the field was racing through turns 1 and 2. Mike Bagley worked the backstretch for the Daytona 500 from a spotter's stand on the inside of the track. Kyle Rickey called the Daytona 500 when the field was racing through turns 3 and 4 from the Sunoco tower outside the exit of turn 4. On pit road, MRN was manned by lead pit reporter and NASCAR Hall of Fame Executive Director Winston Kelley. He was joined on pit road by Steve Post, Kim Coon and Alex Hayden. Standings after the racehttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2018_Daytona_500&action=edit&section=23 edit | ;Manufacturers' Championship standings *'Note': Only the first 16 positions are included for the driver standings. |} Noteshttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2018_Daytona_500&action=edit&section=24 edit Referenceshttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2018_Daytona_500&action=edit&section=25 edit #'Jump up^' "2018 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. May 5, 2017. Retrieved December 25, 2017. #'Jump up^' "Daytona International Speedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Retrieved December 25, 2017. #'Jump up^' "Entry List". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. February 9, 2018. Retrieved February 9, 2018. #'Jump up^' "First Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. February 10, 2018. Retrieved February 10, 2018. #'Jump up^' "Second Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. February 10, 2018. Retrieved February 10, 2018. #'Jump up^' "Qualifying Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. February 11, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2018. #'Jump up^' "Starting Lineup". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. February 11, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2018. #'Jump up^' "Third Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. February 16, 2018. Retrieved February 16, 2018. #'Jump up^' "Fourth Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. February 16, 2018. Retrieved February 16, 2018. #'Jump up^' "Final Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. February 17, 2018. Retrieved February 17, 2018. #'Jump up^' "Daytona 500 Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. February 18, 2018. Retrieved February 18, 2018. #'Jump up^' "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. February 19, 2018. Retrieved February 19, 2018. #'Jump up^' "Manufacturer standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. February 19, 2018. Retrieved February 19, 2018. #'Jump up^' "NASCAR Race Tracks". NASCAR. NASCAR Media Group. Archived from the original on August 11, 2010. Retrieved August 13, 2010. #^ [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Daytona_500#cite_ref-daytrack_15-0 Jump up to:a''] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Daytona_500#cite_ref-daytrack_15-1 ''b] "NASCAR Tracks — The Daytona International Speedway". Speedway Guide. Archived from the original on August 30, 2010. Retrieved August 15, 2010. #'Jump up^' "There will be no beer-sponsored cars in the 2018 Daytona 500". Retrieved 18 February 2018. #'Jump up^' Spencer, Lee (February 10, 2018). "Daytona 500: Kyle Busch tops opening practice session". Motorsport.com. Daytona Beach, Florida: Motorsport Network. Retrieved February 10, 2018. #'Jump up^' Spencer, Lee (February 10, 2018). "Daytona 500: William Byron leads eventful pre-qualifying practice". Motorsport.com. Daytona Beach, Florida: Motorsport Network. Retrieved February 10, 2018. #'Jump up^' Fryer, Jenna (February 11, 2018). "Alex Bowman puts No. 88 on the pole at Daytona". Associated Press. Daytona Beach, Florida: AP Sports. Associated Press. Retrieved February 11, 2018. #'Jump up^' Spencer, Lee (February 16, 2018). "Daytona 500: Daniel Suarez leads Toyota trio in first Friday practice". Motorsport.com. Daytona Beach, Florida: Motorsport Network. Retrieved February 16, 2018. #'Jump up^' Spencer, Lee (February 16, 2018). "Daytona 500: Daniel Suarez completes sweep of Friday practices". Motorsport.com. Daytona Beach, Florida: Motorsport Network. Retrieved February 16, 2018. #'Jump up^' Utter, Jim (February 17, 2018). "Daytona 500: Darrell Wallace Jr. tops final practice". Motorsport.com. Daytona Beach, Florida: Motorsport Network. Retrieved February 17,2018.